A generic steering knuckle assembly is disclosed in German patent application No. 30 44 185. This known steering knuckle assembly comprises a relatively large number of individual parts which must be coupled to each other requiring considerable mounting effort. Additional component parts are necessary as coupling means. This fact increases not only the manufacturing cost but also the weight of the steering knuckle assembly.
Further, attempts have generally been made to minimize the complexity of the final assembly of the vehicle to the greatest possible extent. Therefore, it is considered disadvantageous that a disc brake or a constant-velocity joint for the wheel drive must still be mounted after the attachment of a carrier part of a steering knuckle assembly to the wheel suspension of the automotive vehicle.
An object of the present invention is to improve a steering knuckle assembly of the generic type such as to achieve low weight and a simple assembly, and it is desired to reduce the complexity of the final assembly on the automotive vehicle in particular.
This object of the present invention is achieved by the coupling majority of the parts of the steering knuckle assembly to form a module which is readily preassembled and supplied as a unit by a subsupplier to the car maker. Only few operations are required in the final assembly of the vehicle to attach the preassembled unit to the wheel suspension of the vehicle.
Favorable embodiments are disclosed which particularly reduce the number of parts and the weight of the steering knuckle assembly.
In a preferred embodiment, the supporting arms of the floating-caliper disc brake are integrated in one piece into the carrier component of the steering knuckle assembly. This removes the effort needed for attaching the supporting arms to the carrier component and the need for fastening screws. All functions of a brake carrier are integrated in the carrier component if, the floating caliper is displaceably guided on the supporting arms.
In a preferred embodiment, the radially external ring of the wheel axle bearing is attached by being pressed into the carrier component. Additional fastening provisions are not required. Another favorable embodiment includes integrally forming a radially internal ring of the wheel axle bearing with the rotating axle member.
Favorable aspects with respect to a simple design of the axle member include integrally forming a part of the constant-velocity joint or a flange (which functions to attach the brake disc) with the wheel axle.
Advantageous embodiments of the carrier component are disclosed, wherein one or a plurality of fastening sections of the carrier component or, in the case of a steered vehicle wheel, a lever for steering, are provided and preferably designed integrally with the carrier component. Further improvements are disclosed such as designing the carrier component as a casting in a simple and low-cost fashion.